'This wasn't a good day for the White Sox' - Astros win 21-5
Shortstop Elvis Andrus wouldn't have helped the White Sox much on Thursday.
With the Astros pounding starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and the bullpen - which included second baseman Josh Harrison working the ninth inning - the Sox were a lost cause in an embarrassing 21-5 afternoon setback at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Houston set a franchise record with 25 hits, and the 21 runs were second-most in club history.
"This wasn't a good day for the White Sox," manager Tony La Russa said. "There's a lot of people upset in that clubhouse. It wasn't fun. They beat us up. They deserve the credit and we deserve the heat."
Moving forward, the White Sox are hoping Andrus can help them win games and avoid blowout losses like the one administered by Houston.
Released by Oakland on Wednesday, the 33-year-old Andrus reportedly has agreed to a contract with the Sox, pending a physical.
Andrus is expected to be with the White Sox on Friday in Cleveland for an important three-game series against the first-place Guardians, whom they trail by 2½ games in the AL Central.
The Sox did clear a roster spot for the move, outrighting minor-league reliever Yoan Aybar off the 40-man roster Thursday.
La Russa would welcome the addition of Andrus, but he'll wait until the deal is official before making specific comments.
"Play with what you've got," he said. "If you execute in baseball, you'll have a chance to win."
Looking to win the four-game series against the powerhouse Astros on Thursday, the White Sox didn't give themselves much of a chance and had to settle for a split.
Giolito lasted only 3 innings and gave up 7 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk.
"Obviously, I didn't do my job," Giolito said. "It was pretty terrible. Tomorrow's a new series, an important series, so forget about it."
The Sox's offense wasn't much better, loading the bases twice with no outs and once with one out and scoring only 2 total runs.
"Tough day for all of us," La Russa said.
Andrus is no longer an all-star caliber player, but his addition makes a lot of sense with Tim Anderson expected to miss another month after having finger surgery.
Reserve shortstop Leury Garcia (lower back strain) was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, leaving the White Sox with rookies Lenyn Sosa and Romy Gonzalez to man the key position.
In 106 games with the Athletics this season, Andrus hit .237/.301/.373 with 8 home runs and 30 RBI.
Andrus has played 14 seasons with Texas and Oakland and is a career .270/.326/.369 hitter with 87 homers and 703 RBI.